GSoC/2024/StatusReports/IsraelGaladima
Improve Python Interoperability with LabPlot
LabPlot is a data analysis and visualisation application in KDE. Since Python is heavily used within the data science community, this project aims to make LabPlot a more "Python-friendly" application. The project goals are to:
- Create Python bindings to LabPlot's C++ backend, and
- Enable Python programs to control a running LabPlot application.
These goals will respectively allow users to:
- Access LabPlot's data analysis and visualisation tools from a Python program, and
- Create complex workflows using Python within a running LabPlot application.
Work report
Week 1
- Continued researching about using shiboken2 for python bindings generation
- Set up the cmake build for generating python bindings for a few classes in the backend folder
- Removed the -DQT_STRICT_ITERATORS compilation flag since it was conflicting with the shiboken2 c++ output
Week 2
- Fixed an issue with circular dependencies in the bindings generation by moving some class members to pimpl classes
- Generated python bindings for more classes from the backend folder
Week 3
- Fixed an issue in the bindings generation for some classes by building pyside2 and shiboken2 from source
- Created an MR containing minor fixes to the codebase needed for the bindings generation [1]
Week 4
- Created an MR for the python bindings generation [2]
- Started researching about how to script a C++ application using python. Outlined two approaches: IPC or CPython API
Week 5
- Implemented the ScriptEditor and ScriptEditorView classes
- Added the "Script Editor" menu option under the "File > Add New" menu and the "Script Editor" button to the Project Toolbar, both for adding a new script editor to the current project
Week 6
- Implemented the ScriptManager and Script classes
- Implemented the PythonScript class to utilize the CPython API for executing python code from the script editor
- Injected the MainWin object from LabPlot into the Python interpreter to allow python code to modify the running application
Week 7
- Injected the Project object into the Python interpreter instead of the MainWin object
- Added the bindings as an extension module to the embedded python interpreter
- Fixed an issue which was causing the application to crash by calling Py_Initialize and Py_Finalize only once in the application
- Integrated the ScriptEditorView (KTextEditor) settings into the application settings dialog
- Reworked the application settings dialog to use a tree view instead of a list view, to enable sub pages
- Fixed an issue which caused the application to crash by increasing the ref count of aspects added to the project from a python script
- Excluded the problematic members in some classes from the binding generation thus removing the need to build shiboken2 and pyside2 from source
Week 8
- Renamed ScriptEditor to Script, ScriptEditorView to ScriptEditor, Script to ScriptRuntime and PythonScript to PythonScriptRuntime after a code review
- Removed the combobox for changing the language for a Script from the ScriptEditor after a code review